Modular buildings

ABSTRACT

A modular building comprises a support frame for various modules forming the floor, roof and external wall of the building. The floor is provided by floor modules that can be slid or lifted into place within the support frame. Room modules may be incorporated into the floor. Services may be installed in the modules.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to UK App. No. GB 0619540.8 filed 4Oct. 2006, which is entitled Modular Buildings, and which isincorporated herein by reference.

In addition, the application is related to U.S. application Ser. No.11/751,892, which in turn, claims priority to United Kingdom App. Nos.0610185.1 filed 23 May 2006, and 0619540.8 filed 4 Oct. 2006, all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to modular buildingsand to a building system for constructing such modular buildings.

In my UK patent application No. 2415444, which is incorporated herein byreference, I describe a modular building comprising box-shaped modulesthat are prefabricated and tested off-site and then transported to thebuilding site where they are assembled to form the modular building.This eliminates a large proportion of on-site building and increases thespeed of construction of the building.

The modules are removably mounted in a frame that provides support forexternal cladding and roofing of the building to form the weatherproofexterior. The external cladding may be removable to allow access to themodules for removal and insertion of the modules. Accordingly, thenecessity for tradesmen to enter the building is greatly reduced becausetradesmen can gain access to the modules from the exterior of thebuilding by removing the appropriate cladding.

The modular construction of my earlier application provides flexibilityfor the design and construction of buildings for any desired use andenables the building to be adapted to suit changing requirements in acost effective manner by adding new modules or exchanging existingmodules for new modules.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have now discovered that the principle of using a modular constructioncan be extended with advantage to other types of buildings. Thus, in oneaspect, the present invention provides a building comprising a supportframe and a plurality of prefabricated modules received in the supportframe, the modules being floor modules to form a floor and/or roofmodules to form a roof.

Using pre-fabricated modules to form the floor and/or roof of thebuilding produces an open-plan layout that can then be fitted outaccording to the design requirements of the building by the use ofmodular rooms as described in my afore-mentioned earlier patentapplication or by conventional building methods using partition walls todivide up the floor area into different rooms or sections asappropriate. In this way, the floor and roof can be constructed off-siteand brought to the site for installation in the support frame by anysuitable means.

The modules may be constructed to facilitate installation of servicessuch as pipework and wiring, for example by the provision of channels orducts to receive the services. Alternatively or additionally, themodules may be constructed with services built-in.

The modular system of the invention may be employed in single ormulti-storey buildings for any purpose. For example, the invention lendsitself to the construction of wide range of different types and sizes ofbuildings where an open plan area may be employed including, but notlimited to, supermarkets, hotels, shopping arcades, airport concourses,laboratories, process plants, hospitals, data and communicationbuildings, schools, sports facilities, factories and the like.

From another aspect, the invention provides a method of constructing abuilding comprising providing a support frame for the building andinserting pre-fabricated modules into the frame to produce a floorand/or roof of desired size and shape.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of exampleonly with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a building according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 with the external skinremoved to show the support frame and modular units;

FIGS. 3 to 6 show various stages in the construction of the buildingshown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 7 to 16 show parts of the modular floor system;

FIGS. 17 to 22 show parts of the modular roof system; and

FIG. 23 shows part of a modular wall system.

Corresponding reference numerals will be used throughout the severalfigures of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way ofexample and not by way of limitation. This description will clearlyenable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, anddescribes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives anduses of the invention, including what I presently believe is the bestmode of carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangements of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried outin various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should notbe regarded as limiting.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a building 10according to the invention of rectangular shape in plan view with anentrance 12 on one side. It will be understood that the building couldhave a shape other than rectangular, for example wedge shaped in planview, and that more than one entrance may be provided.

The building 10 has a support frame 14 constructed and arranged toreceive a range of pre-fabricated modular units. The support frame 14may be made of steel, timber, glass reinforced plastics, concrete, fiberresin or other suitable materials including combinations of differentmaterials. In this embodiment, the modular units include pre-fabricatedfloor modules in the form of panels 16, pre-fabricated room modules 18and 20, and pre-fabricated roof modules in the form of panels 24 andunit 25 (FIG. 5).

The floor panels 16 may be made of concrete, optionally reinforced,although other materials could be used such as resins, glass reinforcedplastic, fibers, steel, etc. The floor panels 16 slide into openings inthe external wall of the support frame 14 on guides or runners (notshown) to form the ground floor of the building 10. The perimeters ofthe floor panels 16 may include a perimeter frame (not shown) to allowthe panels to be joined together and sealed if necessary to give a fullyfinished floor module.

The floor panels 16 may be adapted for installation of service such aspipework or wiring. For example, the floor panels 16 may be formed withchannels or ducts to receive the pipework or wiring. Alternatively, thefloor panels 16 may be fabricated with the services installed.Alternatively, the services can be saddled to the underside of the floorsupports.

The floor panels 16 allow the building to be constructed with anopen-plan floor area of any desired size and shape. This area can besub-divided into rooms or smaller areas if desired by partitioning orsimilar conventional methods. The use of floor panels 16 that slide intothe support frame 14 provides a simple and effective method ofconstructing any lay-out of open-plan floor area within the supportframe to suit the requirements. Furthermore, the lay-out can be alteredand/or extended by removing/replacing/adding floor panels 16, possiblywith extensions to the support frame where necessary.

The room modules 18 are similar to those described in my earlierabove-noted patent application and are slid into openings in theexternal wall of the support frame 14 on guides or runners to form anupper floor of the building. The room modules 18 may be fitted outaccording to the intended application of the room. Each module 18 may bea self-contained room. Alternatively, two or more adjacent modules 18may form a single, larger room or suite of rooms.

The room modules 20 are designed to slide into openings in the externalwall of the support frame 14 on the ground floor after insertion of thefloor panels 16 and provide a quick and effective method of convertingat least some of the open-plan floor area for specific uses. For examplethe room modules 20 may include pre-installed equipment for the intendedapplication of the room, for example kitchens, restaurants,fridge/freezers, offices, bakeries, shop units, toilets, plant roomsetc. Each module 20 may be a self-contained room. Alternatively, two ormore adjacent modules 20 may form a single, larger room or suite ofrooms. The room modules 20 can be installed at any desired locations andthe lay-out can be altered and/or extended by removing/replacing/addingroom modules 20, possibly with extensions to the support frame 14 wherenecessary.

Modules 18 and 20 may arrive complete with any of the followingservices:—

-   -   Building Management Systems (BMS)    -   Main buildings services spine    -   Services inlets, outlets and infrastructure within modules    -   Centralized monitoring and control Building Management Systems        (BMS) within their buildings and structures.    -   In addition to a network infrastructure being required, it is        anticipated that BMS boxes and interface panels will be generic        removable “plug & play” style devices with varying degrees of        functionality that can be tailored to user requirements.    -   All modules may need to be interconnected via a main buildings        infrastructure spine and/or services distribution zones. This        may be achieved by using “plug and play” devices.

Modules could have basic services or even conceive a standardinfrastructure cable loom that may be used to build up in series a spineof any length incorporating a style network.

-   -   Modules could have electrical safeguards such as “dongle” style        devices and software keys so that only compatible modules and        systems modules can be used within a building.    -   Services infrastructure within the modules along with provision        of input/output devices and interconnectivity to main building        service spines may include, but not be limited to, supply of        electricity (high and low voltage), telecoms, intranet, cabling,        interfaces, coaxial systems together with control interfaces and        mechanical circuit breakers along with any systems required by        established building standards such as Pyro fire monitoring        systems and security systems that may be built in.    -   Using a single composite cable for the most common services        power, phone, data, communication devices, monitoring,        switching, in conjunction with a generic wall mounted receptacle        would allow the fitting of different face plates depending upon        which service may be required from a particular outlet point,        even lighting units. Using these methods will result in        deskilling the installation and maintenance of services within        buildings.    -   Additionally, interfaces may be required with the building        service spine so that modules may be quickly and easily        connected/disconnected as they are removed and upgraded or        refurbished. Failsafe devices can may be built into the module        interconnect solution. Power contacts within connectors to aid        the connecting up of modules or lanyard release and stored        energy release connectors as safeguards for when removing        modules.    -   All wet services, such as water and waste connections, will be        connected within the units ready to be connected to main service        riser or spine.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 6 of the drawings, various stages in theconstruction of the building are shown. For convenience, only part ofthe building is shown. FIG. 3 shows the steel support frame 14 erectedon a foundation 22. FIG. 4 shows the installation of the floor panels 16by sliding into in the support frame 14 to form the open plan groundfloor area of the building. The floor panels 16 can be overlaid toprovide any type of floor finish for the intended application therebyachieving a complete uninterrupted monolithic finish, for example vinyl,carpet, wood or the like.

FIG. 5 shows the installation of roof panels 24 and a glazed unit 25 toform the roof area of the building. The panels 24 are lifted and slidinto place over the support frame 14 and the glazed unit 25 is liftedand lowered into place by a crane or the like. FIG. 5 also shows theinstallation of a room module 18 on the second floor of the building bysliding into the support frame 14. The room module 18 may house plantequipment such as an air conditioning unit or may be fitted out for useas an office.

FIG. 6 shows the installation of room modules 20 on the ground floor bysliding into the support frame 14. The room modules 20 may be providedfor a range of purposes such as kitchens, restaurants, fridge/freezers,offices, bakeries, shop units, toilets, plant rooms etc. FIG. 6 alsoshows the provision of a removable canopy 26 attached to the supportframe 14 after insertion of the room modules 18 in the second floor.

For some applications, removable balconies may be provided, for examplewhere the building is used for living accommodation such as flats orhotels. The building is made weather-tight on completion by sealing theroof panels 24 and providing a façade to the walls. The façade may be inthe form of an external skin such as cladding or glazing according tothe design of the building. The façade is detachable and/or can beopened to allow the modules 16,18,20 to be removed and/or replaced whenchanging/extending the lay-out of the building.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 to 15 of the drawings, various parts of themodular floor system above-described are shown in more detail. Forconvenience, like reference numerals are used to indicate correspondingparts.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a system for joining the ends of two floor panels 16a,16 b. In FIG. 7 the abutting end faces of the panels 16 a,16 b arejoined by one or more rivets 30 or other fastening means. In FIG. 8, theabutting ends of the panels 16 a,16 b are additionally secured on theunderside by one or more clips 36. FIG. 7 also shows the panels 16 a,16b having floor finishes 32 a,32 b on the upper surface with sealant 34and edge trim 36 finish therebetween.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a system for joining the sides of two floor panels16 a,16 b. In FIG. 9, the adjacent side faces of the panels 16 a,16 bare joined by male and female formations 38 a,38 b that allow the panels16 a,16 b to slide lengthwise relative to each other. In FIG. 9, theformations are of dovetail shape that prevent the panels 16 a,16 bseparating in a vertical or horizontal direction. It will be understoodhowever that other shapes and configurations of male and femaleformations may be employed such as rabbeted side edges. In FIG. 10, themale and female formations 38 a,38 b again allow the panels 16 a,16 b toslide lengthwise relative to each other and prevent the panelsseparating in a horizontal direction but allow one panel to be liftedrelative to the other in a vertical direction. This configuration ofmale and female formations permits the panels 16 a,16 b to be slid orlowered into place and also allows individual panels 16 a,16 b to beremoved and replaced.

In both arrangements, the male and female formations allow loads to bespread between adjacent panels and may reduce the amount of supportrequired for the floor. Both Figures also show the panels 16 a,16 bhaving floor finishes 32 a,32 b on the upper surface with sealant 34 andedge trim 36 finish therebetween. In some applications, side faces ofadjacent panels 16 a,16 b may be separated by columns of the steelframe. In this case, the gap between the panels 16 a,16 b can be filledby inserting an in-fill panel 40 (FIGS. 11 and 12) with edge formations40 c configured to mate with the formations on the side faces of thepanels 16 a,16 b so that the in-fill panel 40 can be lowered into placebetween the floor panels 16 a,16 b. The in-fill panel 40 has a matchingfloor finish 40 d on its upper surface and sealant 34 and edge trim 36finish is provided between the panels 16 and the in-fill panel 40. InFIG. 11, an in-fill gasket 41 is provided to fill the gap between thepanels 16 a,16 b and the in-fill panel 40 at the lower edge.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a system for attaching the floor panels 16 to thesupport frame 14 by means of brackets 42 secured to the underside of thepanels 16 and to the support frame 14. As shown the brackets 42 aregenerally Z-shaped with an upper arm 42 a received in a sleeve 44secured to the underside of the panel 16 and a lower arm 42 b secured toa bolt 46 attached to the support frame 14. Packing 48 may be insertedbetween the underside of the panel 16 and the support frame 14 to takeup any clearance to level the floor and/or to provide sound insulationbefore tightening a lock nut 50.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show a typical lay-out of a floor pan 52 made up ofpanels 16 and in-fill panels 40 as described above. The panels 16 fillthe space between upright columns 14 a of the support frame 14 and thein-fill panels 40 fill the gaps. Panels 16 may come in a range ofmodular sizes according to the design of the building. For example asingle modular panel may cover the floor area between four columns 14 aarranged at the corners of the panel as shown in solid lines in FIG. 15.Alternatively, the same floor area may be covered by an assembly of twoor more interlocking panels 16 a,16 b as indicated in broken lines inFIG. 15. Although a rectangular floor pan 52 is shown, it will beunderstood that the invention is not limited thereto and that othershapes of floor pan may be constructed employing modular floor panelsare described herein.

In a modification (not shown), one or more of the floor panels may bereplaced by a room module having formations co-operable with theadjacent floor panels and/or in-fill panels. In this way, room modulescan be slid or lowered into position in similar manner to the floorpanels and/or removed and replaced as desired. Also by incorporating theroom module into the floor pan rather than installing the room module ontop of the floor pan, continuity of floor levels and/or finishes etc canbe obtained.

Referring now to FIGS. 17 to 22 of the drawings, various parts of themodular roof system above-described are shown in more detail. Forconvenience, like reference numerals are used to indicate correspondingparts.

FIG. 17 shows the flat roof panel 24 being slid over the roof beams 60in the direction of arrow A to the required position. The side edges ofthe panel 24 may be rabbeted as shown at 24 a to overlap a rabbeted edgeof an adjoining panel to improve the joint therebetween as shown in FIG.18. The panels 24 may be supplied with a waterproof membrane 62 alreadyattached to the outer surface and with or without membrane flaps 64 forsealing the joints between adjacent panels 24. The panel 24 may also besupplied with the inner surface finished with paint or any otherlining/ceiling material, wood, plastics, glass reinforced plastics, etc.The panel 24 may also be configured to receive services similar to thefloor panels described previously. For example, the services may belocated in channels in the panels and may be installed off-site forsupply and installation with the roof panels or the services may beinstalled on-site after the roof panels have been installed.Alternatively, service modules may be slung to the underside of the roofpanels 24.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show a locking system 61 for attaching the roof panels24 to the roof beams 60 with no visible fixings. The roof beams 60 areprovided with headed studs 66 that project from the upper surface andco-operate with sliding wedge packing plates 68 on the underside of thepanel 24 to locate and retain the panel 24 in position. The panel 24 islifted into position over the studs 66 and slid into position to tensionthe studs and secure the panel in position. The wedge packing plates 68may be made of materials to eliminate cold bridging to the structure.

The locking system 61 may be employed to locate and secure a pitchedroof 69 (FIG. 21) and a pitched roof 69 and flat roof 70 (FIG. 22). Theroof may be pre-fabricated off-site for supply and installation. Thepitched roof 69 may incorporate pre-wired solar panels (not sown) or thelike and could have pre-installed services within the roof voids,allowing completed sections of the buildings to be delivered and pluggedin to adjoining service units.

A similar locking system 61 to that above-described may also be used tosecure external wall panels 70 to the support structure 14 as shown inFIG. 23. The wall panels 70 may be pre-fabricated off-site for supplyand installation and may be provided with a suitable waterproof finish72 on the outer surface to clad the building and with paint or othersuitable finish on the inner surface.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to theembodiments above-described and that various modifications can be madewithout departing from the principle of a modular system for removablymounting floor, roof and wall panels in a support frame to provide anydesired lay-out.

Thus, the invention has application to single and multi-storeybuildings. The modular system for floor, roof and wall panels may beemployed in some or all areas of a multi-storey building according tothe design and use of the building. The above systems areinter-changeable. For example, the floor plan Z-bracket detail, could beemployed to retain the composite roof panels or the pitched roofelements depending on the supporting structure design. The slidingwedges which secure the roof panels in turn can be used to secure thefloor panels and the external building envelope. The sliding wedges maybe replaced by any other locking systems for attaching the roof panels,floor panels and walls panels. The interchangeable power services allowfor the installation and removal of electrical services safely withoutthe need of electrical engineers on site and also, for instance, tochange a data outlet to a socket outlet in the future just by changingthe front cover.

It will be appreciated that the modular systems described herein forconstructing the floor, roof and external walls of a building togetherwith the optional provision of room modules within a support frameprovides versatility in the design and lay-out of the building as wellas the capability to change the design and lay-out by replacing, moving,adding or substituting modules to provide any desired configuration.

Other changes that can be made will be apparent to those skilled in theart and the invention is deemed to include all variations andmodifications within the scope of the claims.

1. A building comprising a support frame and a plurality ofpre-fabricated modules received in the support frame, the modulescomprising at least one of floor modules to form a floor or roof modulesto form a roof of the building.
 2. The building according to claim 1wherein the modules are configured for installation of services.
 3. Thebuilding according to claim 1 wherein the modules are configured to beslid into place in the support frame.
 4. The building according to claim1 wherein the modules are configured to be lifted into place in thesupport frame.
 5. The building according to claim 1 wherein the modulescomprise panels having edge formations for locating adjacent panelsrelative to each other.
 6. The building according to claim 1 wherein themodules comprise panels and in-fill panels are provided to close gapsbetween adjacent panels.
 7. The building according to claim 1 whereinmeans is provided for securing the modules to the support frame.
 8. Thebuilding according to claim 7 wherein the securing means comprisesbrackets for attaching an underside of the modules to the support frame.9. The building according to claim 7 wherein the securing meanscomprises wedge packers for attaching an underside of the modules to thesupport frame.
 10. The building according to claim 1 including at leastone room module received in the support frame.
 11. The buildingaccording to claim 10 wherein the room module is provided in place of afloor module.
 12. The building according to claim 1 wherein the modulesinclude wall modules to form an external wall of the building.
 13. Amethod of constructing a building comprising providing a support framefor the building and inserting pre-fabricated modules into the frame toproduce a floor and/or roof of desired size and shape.